Ever since the inception of Unraveled, Impericon festivals have always been a staple event in our calendar, one way or the other. This year, for the first time, two of our girls joined forces to give you an multifaceted experience. Buckle up folks, this will be a long one.
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| Obey The Brave by Dearohwell photography |
Words and pictures by Michelle Ritzmann photography (~) and Eleonora Chatzopoulou/Dearohwell photography (*).
I arrived at the festival just as Holding Absence from the UK started playing. They caught me by surprise, because for some reason I thought their genre would be more quiet and chill, but I was more than wrong! They had so much energy and, for it being 10am, they hyped up the crowd pretty good. (~)
Alpha Wolf from Αustralia were my second band of the day and with that, also the band I was most exited to see. I almost fangirled a little bit when they hit the stage and from second one they absolutely killed it with their performance. Melodic hardcore with metalcore vibes at it’s finest. They were just as amazing as I expected them to be and I hope they will return to Europe very soon. (~)
Next up were Fit For A King from the US. I heard good things about them, but never really had the time to properly check them out. So I was very exited to see them perform that day and they weren’t a let down at all. (~)
Canadian hardcore powerhouse Get The Shot was up next and let me tell you, I was in for a big surprise. Their energy was unparalleled, as the restless vocalist invited kids to crowdsurf from the barricade and eventually even joined them. (*)
Keeping up with the Canadian onslaught, Obey The Brave hit the stage blasting "Raise Your Voice" and yours truly had a very hard time keeping it together while singing my little heart out and taking pictures. "On Our Own" and the latest single, "No Apologies" followed. The band didn't stop moving and jumping around, and it didn't take long for vocalist Alex Erian to have a little fun crowdsurfing. Fans responded very well to their show and sang along throughout the performance. (*)
Derek Archambault of Defeater performed an acoustic set at the boxing stage. The thing about his material, and Defeater overall, is that you need to be in a specific mindset to fully enjoy the experience. An even then, Derek sometimes gives you the impression that he'd rather be elsewhere. To me, this was the case with this acoustic performance so I didn't fully stick around as I was impatiently waiting for the next act. (*)
The canadian melodic hardcore band Counterparts hit the Lonsdale stage wearing sunglasses (that vocalist Brendan Murphy didn't take off) with "No Servant Of Mine" and "Bouquet". We’ve both seen them play many times before but this might have been our favourite performance by them. Some fans sang their hearts out to the music and others were enjoying them quietly while bobbing their heads along (how could you not), while the band was putting on an exquisite show; guitarist Blake Hardman looked like he was jamming with his favorite band and bassist Tyler Williams kept jumping up and down. After that set even the early birds were awake and full of energy again. (~) (*)
On to Norma Jean, who I thought would stick out of the lineup like a sore thumb. I couldn't be more wrong. I got to see them for the first time and it was a pure revelation. The band was tight and well rehearsed and it wasn't long before I was picking my jaw from the floor. Sure, Cory Brandan was intimidating as ever, but what actually caught my eye (and both our lenses) were the long haired guitarist and bassist on the right of the stage who wouldn't stand still for a damn second. I'm still not over how good they were and I wish i came better prepared. (*)
We skipped Rise Of The Northstar (along with the majority of Jesse Barnett's acoustic show) for a lunch break and to recuperate. Afterwards, I hurried back inside to catch The Black Dahlia Murder, who I hadn't seen since Vainstream 2017. Their show was as solid as I remember and fans seemed to have a very good time. (*)
Defeater was up next. They got on with their latest single, "Stale Smoke", which really didn't hit home with us. I kept thinking that I could live without seeing them again until they transitioned into "Bastards" and "No Shame". I deeply regretted that sinful thought, as they pummeled our hearts and feelings with their intense songwriting. Then, "Dear Father" and "Remorse" finished off what the previous songs hadn't completely destroyed. (*)
The evening part of the day started with Deez Nuts. The last time I saw them was at "Never Say Die!” Tour in 2017 and I was exited to see them again after quite some time. I have to admit though, that I wasn’t the biggest fan of their 10 year anniversary set of “Stay True”. It’s an album that I don’t connect with as well as with their newer stuff. It wasn’t a bad performance tho, the OG fans definitely enjoyed and appreciated the set. (~)
Shortly after Deez Nuts, you could hear a french-speaking rapper playing and that meant only one thing; Nasty from Belgium was about to go on stage -queue "At War With Love". I had never seen them before but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoy beatdown hardcore and hardcore music in general a lot right now and they fit right in that alley. Mid-set their singer, Matthias Tarnath, started to motivate the fans to crowdsurf more and I’ve never seen anything crazier happen in front of a barrier before. Fans basically flew from all sides to the front. They literally came in waves and security would barely catch them all. A sight I’ll never forget. (~)
Emmure played a really cool set with a projector kind of backdrop which I was skeptical of before the show started but it turned out looking really cool. I haven’t listened to Emmure in a while I have to admit, but it was good to see them again. It was a cool show visually and musically. (~)
We both were eager to catch Caliban again, especially on German grounds where getting their fans pumped looks like a walk in the park. And how could it not, when the choice of hit songs? To be fair, the setlist revolved mainly around newer material ("Walk Alone", "Paralyzed") and only had one bold older reference ("Davy Jones"), but still didn't lack any surprises. BastiBasti of Callejon joined the band to perform "nebeL", followed by Matthi of Nasty, who sang "Ich Blüte Für Dich". (*) (~)
Again casually skipping Donots, we were fully prepared for Stick To Your Guns. The OC outfit started playing "What Choice Did You Give Us" and the stage curtain collapsed just as the intro finished. Very theatrical, very impressive. The band played all the fan-favorites while jumping up and down, giving their best, and the crowd responded with loud singalongs and a constant flow of crowdsurfers. If I'm being honest, I still have very vivid memories from the last time I saw them, so I couldn't fully absorb this show although it was very entertaining to watch from afar. (*)
Hollywood Undead headlined the festival and even though I had known of their name, I never actually listened to them. I have to say that I absolutely loved their performance; their music, their dynamic, the whole show. I’m really glad that I got to see them this way, even though I had to leave halfway through the set. Even if you weren't a fan of their music, you can't deny the money that went into their stage production and the consistent energy of their performance. Pyros and confetti rain was the best way to end the day. (~)
Thank you Impericon festival, see you next year!
Keep scrolling for the photo gallery.
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| Hollywood Undead by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Hollywood Undead by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Hollywood Undead by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Hollywood Undead by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Hollywood Undead by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Stick To Your Guns by Dearohwell photography |
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| Stick To Your Guns by Dearohwell photography |
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| Stick To Your Guns by Dearohwell photography |
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| Stick To Your Guns by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Stick To Your Guns by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Stick To Your Guns by Dearohwell photography |
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| Stick To Your Guns by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Caliban by Dearohwell photography |
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| Caliban by Dearohwell photography |
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| Caliban by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Caliban by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Caliban by Dearohwell photography |
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| Caliban by Dearohwell photography |
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| Callejon by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Callejon by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Callejon by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Callejon by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Callejon by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Emmure by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Emmure by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Emmure by Dearohwell photography |
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| Emmure by Michelle Ritzmann |
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| Emmure by Dearohwell photography |
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| Nasty by Dearohwell photography |
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| Nasty by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Nasty by Dearohwell photography |
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| Nasty by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Deez Nuts by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Deez Nuts by Dearohwell photography |
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| Deez Nuts by Dearohwell photography |
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| Deez Nuts by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Defeater by Dearohwell photography |
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| Defeater by Dearohwell photography |
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| Defeater by Dearohwell photography |
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| Defeater by Dearohwell photography |
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| The Black Dahlia Murder by Dearohwell photography |
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| The Black Dahlia Murder by Dearohwell photography |
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| The Black Dahlia Murder by Dearohwell photography |
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| The Black Dahlia Murder by Dearohwell photography |
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| Norma Jean by Dearohwell photography |
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| Norma Jean by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Norma Jean by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Norma Jean by Dearohwell photography |
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| Norma Jean by Dearohwell photography |
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| Counterparts by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Counterparts by Dearohwell photography |
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| Counterparts by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Counterparts by Dearohwell photography |
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| Counterparts by Dearohwell photography |
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| Obey The Brave by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Obey The Brave by Dearohwell photography |
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| Obey The Brave by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Fit For A King by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Fit For A King by Dearohwell photography |
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| Fit For A King by Dearohwell photography |
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| Fit For A King by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Alpha Wolf by Michelle Ritzmann Photography |
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| Alpha Wolf by Michelle Ritzmann Photography |
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| Alpha Wolf by Michelle Ritzmann Photography |
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| Alpha Wolf by Michelle Ritzmann Photography |
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| Holding Absence by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Holding Absence by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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| Holding Absence by Michelle Ritzmann photography |
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